Barbara Strozzilaan 336
1083 HN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

GSSB summary of the virtual meeting
held on 19 May 2022
Approved by the GSSB on 7 July 2022

© GRI 2022

1Contents

2
Participants.............................................................................................................................................. 3
List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 3
Decisions and action items ..................................................................................................................... 3
Session 1: Welcome ............................................................................................................................... 4
Session 2: Standards Division update .................................................................................................... 4
Session 3: GRI Sector Standard project for Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing – final approval ...... 5
Session 4: Presentation by Mercy for Animals ....................................................................................... 7Session 5: Any other business and close of the meeting ....................................................................... 8

Page 2 of 83Participants

4

Present:

56NameConstituency

Judy Kuszewski

Chair

Robyn Leeson

Vice-Chair

Loredana Carta

LaborPeter Colley

Labor

Giulia Genuardi

Business enterprise

Evan Harvey

Investment institution

Vincent Kong

Business enterprise

Anna Nefedova

Mediating institution

Joseph Martin

Business enterpriseJennifer Princing

Business enterprise

Corli le RouxMediating institution

Gangaa Charan SharmaBusiness enterprise

Kim Schumacher

Civil society organization

Kenton Swift

Civil society organization

Michel Washer

Business enterprise

In attendance from GRI:
NamePosition

Bastian Buck

Chief of Standards

Harold Pauwels

Director Standards

Mia d’Adhemar

Head Sector Program

Margarita Lysenkova

Manager Sector Program

Gillian Balaban

Sr. Coordinator Governance Relations

List of abbreviations
GRI
GSSB
SDTC
DPP
DPAR
DPOC

Global Reporting Initiative
Global Sustainability Standards BoardStandards Division
Technical committee
Due Process Protocol
Due Process Adherence report
Due Process Oversight Committee

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7Decisions and action items

8Decisions

9The GSSB resolved to approve the following:

10GSSB Decision 2022.10 Item 01 – Draft summary GSSB meeting – 28 April 2022

11GSSB Decision 2022.11 Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Agriculture, Aquaculture and12Fishing – Final draft with an effective date of 1 January 2024

13GSSB Decision 2022.12 – GSSB resolves to approve that re-exposure of GRI 13: Agriculture,

14

Aquaculture and Fishing Sectors 2022 is not needed

15

Session 1: Welcome

16

The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) Chair Judy Kuszewski (henceforth the Chair)

17welcomed the GSSB. The Chair presented an overview of the meeting agenda. The GSSB was

18

presented with the following items for approval:

19

Item 01 – Draft summary GSSB meeting – 28 April 2022

20

Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing – Final draft

21

Session 2: Standards Division update

22

The Chief of Standards, Bastian Buck, presented the following points:

23•From 17-19 October, there will be a two-day in-person GSSB meeting in Amsterdam.

24•The biodiversity project, GRI 304, is in the draft development phase. The third TC meeting was

25
26

held, preparing for the fourth meeting.
•The PCP is expected to start in the 4th quarter. Colleagues overseeing the project indicate that in-27

depth discussions are expected. The expert group and GRI staff want to ensure a consistent set

28of disclosures.

29

•30
31

project will be provided through September, October, and November.
•32
33

36

The labor Standards review program is a larger effort linked to several existing standards, whichmight involve the creation of new standards.

•34
35

We are on schedule to submit this draft to the GSSB after the summer break. Updates on thisWe are preparing to have a project proposal for the GSSB in July. We have secured the right mix
of institutions, and nominations for experts will be formalized with the GSSB.

•Progress depends on whether this is a phased project or if all the Standards are done
simultaneously. The team is working to resolve this issue with the institutions involved, and wePage 4 of 8

37

want a practical proposal from an SD resourcing perspective and the expertise these38

organizations make available.

39•Two WG meetings for the mining project are completed. A survey screening for likely material

40

topics was conducted, and there are sub-working group meetings underway to elicit detail on

41

likely material topics.

42•

A Standards manager has been appointed to lead the food and beverage project. Working group

43

recruitment will advance in the coming months. After the summer break, we will have a detailed

44

timeline for when the project working group will commence its work.

45•

GRI has announced a collaboration with IFRS Foundation in a meeting with the ISSB technical46

team in London to look at how to substantiate this collaboration. This will be an important input to47

discussions of the future work program.

48•Thanks to our colleagues in the HR department and in the SD that are actively involved in49

recruitment. We continue to grow the team. However, we are not on schedule to hit the 30 FTE

50mark by the end of June, but we are making progress.

51

•

52

We will be able to conclude this first phase of hiring for 2022. We will then look to discuss with theleadership of the GRI Foundation how to enable the next phase of hiring in the near term.

53

Session 3: GRI Sector Standard

54

project for Agriculture, Aquaculture

55

and Fishing - approval of final

56

Standard

57

Manager Sector Program, Margarita Lysenkova, presented the Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing

58

Sector Standard draft for approval by the GSSB. The following points are for consideration:

59

•60
61

GSSB on 17 March 2020.
•62
63

Since then, the SD has worked on finalizing the draft, which included responses from the final
round of comments received in the technical review by our WG.

•64
65

A detailed overview of the changes resulting from the public comment was presented to theChanges made included two updated topic names, the provision of more examples of positive
impacts, and additional sector reporting particular to aquaculture and fishing.

•In line with the previously published Sector Standard, the SD proposes 1 January 2024 as the66

effective date, allowing for a transition period in which organizations can collect data during the67

reporting cycle.

68

The GSSB had the following questions and comments regarding the new Sector Standard:

Page 5 of 8

69

GSSB: How has the SD considered the relationship between the latest Sector Standard and the7071biodiversity Topic Standard's development?
SD:

One WG member participates in the biodiversity project, which provides some overlap. We

72

have been in discussions with colleagues on issues of common interest but cannot respond

73

until the completion of the biodiversity project and how these could be incorporated in a later

74

update of the Sector Standard.

75

GSSB: The issue of Topic Standards needing revision after the publication of a Sector Standard is an76
77

aspect that will be more prevalent in the Standards that follow.
SD:The issue is acknowledged. We can now advance beyond the Sector program's pilot projects,

78

which adds pressure on the system and the different parts of the modular Standards

79structure. This provides the initiative to update existing Standards or develop new Standards.

80

Expanding our Standards means that we can scale our Sector and Topic teams, which we

81continue to address with increasing resources. The Sector Standards also work as designed

82

by providing priorities for topic updates or development.

83

The Chair, on behalf of the GSSB, acknowledged the stakeholder involvement and thanked the SD84

for their contributions to the project. The Chair further discussed the steps required in the DPP, and85

the Chief of Standards confirmed its adherence to the due process.

86

Vote on final approval

87

Table 1. GSSB summary of votes.
GSSB member

Approval

Approval without reexposure

Anna Nefedova

In favor

In favor

Corli le Roux

In favor

In favor

Evan Harvey

In favor

In favor

Ganga Charan Sharma

In favor

In favor

Giulia Genuardi

In favor

In favor

Jennifer Princing

In favor

In favor

Joseph Martin

In favor

In favor

Judy Kuszewski

In favor

In favor

Kent Swift

In favorIn favor

Kim Schumacher

In favor

In favor

Loredana Carta

In favor

In favor

Page 6 of 8Michel Washer

In favor

In favorPeter Colley

In favor

In favor

Robyn Leeson

In favor

In favor

Vincent Kong

In favor

In favor

Total in favor

151588

Session 4: Presentation by Mercy for

89

Animals90

The GSSB frequently welcomes external stakeholder input for the GSSB work program 2023-2025 on

91

various topics of interest to international standard setting. The Chair welcomed Zoë Sigle, global

92

corporate engagement manager at Mercy for Animals. The following points were presented to the93

GSSB:

94

•Mercy for Animals is a global non-profit animal farm protection organization based in the United

95

States. It is known for its undercover investigations to improve animal welfare standards in the96

supply chain.

97

•

98
99

Regarding the GSSB, Mercy for Animals is interested in contributing insights to animal health andwelfare Topic Standards.

•The use of animals in the supply chain is ubiquitous: 1.2-2.7 trillion aquatic animals are used for

100

feed, over 60 billion land animals are used for food, and over 192 million animals are used for101

scientific research.

102•Focusing on the five freedoms of animal well-being is critical. These include; 1. Freedom from103

hunger, malnutrition, and thirst; 2. Freedom from fear and distress; 3. Freedom from heat stress104

and discomfort; 4. Freedom from pain, injury, and disease; 5. Freedom to express normal

105

behavioral patterns.

106

•107
108

external stakeholder responses influence one another.
•109
110

Business considerations include how animal welfare, corporate procurement policies, andThe caged confinement of laying hens is a key work area at Mercy for Animals and relevant to theGSSB.

•While several national and regional governments have taken steps to improve the welfare of111

laying hens, investors are increasingly acknowledging the risks associated with the mistreatment

112

of animals, including in regulations, the market, and corporate reputation.

113
114

•

Over 120 global companies have adopted cage-free egg commitments in their supply chains, insectors such as food services, hospitality, food manufacturers, restaurants, and retailers.

Page 7 of 8115

•116
117

The increasing prevalence of meaningful public commitments to animal welfare and global
progress reporting are steps in the right direction.

•Regarding GRI Topic Standards, Mercy for Animals recommends that more corporate attention

118

be given to animal welfare in supply chains, creating species-specific standards, and establishing119

more quantitative reporting of inputs that aim to meet the five freedoms.

120•

Key areas are expanding existing collaboration areas between companies and NGOs,

121

acknowledging the scale and severity of animal suffering, and raising public concern for bills,

122

statutes, and regulations.

123

Following a brief conversation among GSSB members about how existing GRI Standards in the124

Sector and Topic programs address animal welfare concerns, the Chair thanked Mercy for Animals

125

for their input.

126

Session 5: Any other business and127

close of the meeting

128

No other business was raised, and the Chair closed the public meeting at 14.08 Central European

129

Time (CET).

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